» »Unlabelled » Aussie students journey through Sabah - The Borneo Post ... Berita Sabah - News 2 Sabah

11:27:00

Aussie students journey through <b><b>Sabah</b></b> - The Borneo Post <b>...</b> Berita Sabah - News 2 Sabah

Aussie students journey through <b><b>Sabah</b></b> - The Borneo Post <b>...</b>

Posted: 10 May 2014 08:10 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Seventeen Tourism and Hospitality students from Edith Cowan University (ECU) Australia embarked on a ten-day journey through the land of Sabah to acquire knowledge and experience on ecotourism from April 17 to 27.

The visit was led by Professor Ross Dowling, the Foundation Professor of Tourism in the School of Business, Faculty of Business and Law of ECU.

Managing director of Borneo Eco Tours (BET) and Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL), Albert Teo who is also a Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer of ECU, personally designed and packaged the study tour together with Professor Ross.

The aim of the tour was for the students to experience tourism in general and ecotourism incorporating community projects in particular.

Teo accompanied the whole trip for intimate impartation of knowledge and experience in operating the ecotourism business.

The trip began with an overnight stay in Kota Kinabalu city, where the group had the opportunity to explore the city on an afternoon tour. Excitement was further enhanced on the second day as the group set on the journey to northern Sabah, Kudat for cultural exchange activities and community contribution to a student hostel in Sikuati, Kudat – Asrama Bantaran Joy Centre (ABJC).

The group handed over English books to ABJC Students as an encouragement to learn English.

They also donated 20 bunk beds worth RM6,000 to improve the living conditions of students at ABJC. The bunk beds' supplier, Chung of Temalang Enterprise, also contributed six mattresses to ABJC.

Afterwards the group visited the Kimihang Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Processing Centre which is part of a community project through social entrepreneurship by BEST Society. There, the students got to learn about the extraction process involved in producing virgin coconut oil through demonstration by Ronnie Onginjan, the Kimihang VCO entrepreneur.

The group supported the project by purchasing the virgin coconut oil products.

They enjoyed the evening with a barbecue dinner, a Rungus cultural performance, and the overnight stay at a traditional longhouse on Tindakon Dazang Beach.

This is a tourism project developed by a local entrepreneur Samuil at Terongkongan Village, Kudat with technical advice from BEST Society.

In Kudat, the ECU group learnt about the local community, cultural differences and challenges involved in the process of changing mindset in order to alleviate poverty.

The next stop on the ECU group's journey was Kundasang. A stopover at Nabalu Market was followed by an emotional visit to the Kundasang War Memorial Park as the group learnt about the history of Prisoners of War (POW) Death Marches. That night, the group stayed in the Sabah Tea Garden and visited the Quailey's Hill Memorial.

The ECU group experienced a change of landscapes from white sandy beaches in Kudat to the majestic Mount Kinabalu in Ranau all the way overland to eastern Sabah, Sandakan.

Finally, they reached the banks of the Kinabatangan River which they crossed in order to finally arrive at the award winning ecolodge, Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) which is situated on the lower Kinabatangan River nearby Sukau Village.

During the four-night stay in SRL, the group participated in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor Rehabilitation Program (KWICORP), tree planting project which is an ongoing project by BEST Society, BET and SRL to regenerate riverine forest corridor along the lower Kinabatangan River.

Aside from the tree planting project, the group donated English books to Sukau Primary School students and painted the community hall in Sukau Village, spending a total of RM2,708 on paints and tools.

In addition to environmental and community projects, Teo conducted a presentation and tour around SRL to provide the students with practical insights on building, managing and operating an ecotourism company and ecolodge with community involvement.

The ECU group had a great wildlife viewing experience on several river cruises; they sighted endangered species including the Orang-Utan, Proboscis Monkeys, Macaques, various species of birds and even Borneo Pygmy Elephants.

The study tour ended with a three-night stay in Sandakan. The group joined president of the Sandakan Municipal Council, Datuk James Wong, as well as local and international dignitaries for a dinner preceding ANZAC Day hosted by the Sabah Tourism Board.

During the following days, the ECU Group attended the ANZAC Day's Dawn Service at Sandakan War Memorial Park and visited the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) and Rainforest Discovery Centre.

The CEO and founder of BSBCC, Wong Siew Te, gave a talk about Bornean Sun Bears and the aim of BSBCC during their visit. The ECU group then presented a cheque for a one-year adoption of a Bornean Sun Bear at RM1,200 to Wong.

Professor Ross regarded the study tour as a good learning exposure on the ground for the students as they got a taste of local cultures and participated in community projects personally, working together with local communities, especially in Sukau Village.

The study tour was further enhanced by the personal involvement of Teo.

The 17 ECU students summarized the study tour as an eye-opener and an once-in-a- lifetime experience. They were impressed by Sabah's nature and inspired by examples of success such as Ronnie from the Kimihang VCO Processing Centre.

Many of them vowed to definitely visit Sabah again and decided to attend the 8th Asia Pacific Eco-Tourism Conference 2014 organised by Teo on behalf of MATTA.

Print Friendly

795 anak TKI <b>Sabah</b> ikut ujian kesetaraan - ANTARA <b>...</b> - <b>Berita</b> Terkini

Posted: 26 May 2014 08:19 AM PDT

Nunukan (ANTARA News) - Sebanyak 795 anak tenaga kerja Indonesia (TKI) mengikuti ujian kesetaraan untuk tingkat SMP (paket B) dan tingkat SD (paket A) di Kota Kinabalu, Negeri Sabah, Malaysia.

Peserta ujian kesetaraan paket A dan paket B tersebut berasal dari puluhan "community learning center (CLC)" yang tersebar di sejumlah perusahaan di wilayah kerja Konsulat Jenderal RI Kota Kinabalu, ujar Dadang, Kepala Sekolah Indonesia Kota Kinabalu (SIKK) di Kota Kinabalu saat dihubungi dari Nunukan, Senin.

Ia menambahkan, peserta ujian kesetaraan paket tersebut masing-masing untuk paket A sebanyak 778 orang dan paket B sebanyak 17 orang.

Sebenarnya, lanjut dia, total peserta ujian kesetaraan paket A yang terdaftar sebanyak 906 orang dan paket B sebanyak 17 orang namun jumlah siswa yang tidak sempat mengikuti ujian kesetaraan itu sebanyak 128 orang untuk paket A.

"Jadi ada 128 orang peserta yang terdaftar tidak sempat mengikuti ujian kesetaraan paket A. Sedangkan peserta ujian paket B semuanya sempat ikut," kata dia.

Peserta ujian kesetaraan ini, Dadang mengaku, tidak mengetahui jumlah berdasarkan jenis kelaminnya namun pada intinya seluruhnya merupakan anak-anak WNI yang bekerja di Negeri Sabah di wilayah kerja Konjen RI Kota Kinabalu.

Wilayah kerja Konjen RI Kota Kinabalu diantaranya Sandakan, Keningau, Telupid dan Kota Kinabalu sendiri yang hampir seluruh perusahaan terdapat sekolah bagi anak TKI yang lebih dikenal CLC.

River conservation drive launched - Borneo Post <b>Berita Sabah</b> <b>...</b>

Posted: 20 Apr 2014 08:42 PM PDT

by Rebecca Chong. Posted on March 6, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Students in their final semester at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sabah were introduced to job opportunities in Sabah through the Career and Industrial Relations Expo 2014 (CAIREX).

The CAIREX programme, organised for the second time by UiTM in collaboration with JobsMalaysia at the UiTM campus yesterday, was officiated by Human Resource Development Department director Billy Yumbod who represented Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat.

With the main objective to expose post-graduate students to career options in the state, the CAIREX also aims to provide a platform to widen opportunities related to the courses taken.

According to UiTM Sabah rector Datuk Dr Haji Abdul Kadir Rosline, the CAIREX this year was bigger and better than the one held last year.

He said CAIREX this year involved more participants from the private and public companies in the state tnat that last year, with 20 booths set up by different companies.

"I hope this programme will become bigger each year and involve more visitors from the public as it is very beneficial, especially to the fresh graduates," he said.

Abdul Kadir told the Borneo Post that this year marked the 40th anniversary of UiTM Sabah, and plans were afoot for UiTM Sabah to have its first convocation ceremony in November, and to be combined with the Job Expo.

Since the early years of UiTM Sabah, its graduates have been conducting their convocation ceremony in Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, thus making the convocation planned for this November the first UiTM Sabah convocation ceremony ever to be held in the state.

"I believe that this will help make the Job Expo even bigger as the convocation will be attended not only by the graduates, but with their family members as well.

"With plans to set up 100 booths, the Job Expo will have a perfect time as most of the fresh graduates will be looking for job opportunities," he said.

Meanwhile, Siringan said in his speech which was delivered by Billy that based on statistics from the Public Services Commission, 100,824 people from Sabah had registered for positions in the public service sector in 2013, and out of the total, 5,000 had been appointed.

He also revealed that from the information acquired from JobsMalaysia, there were about 130,000 vacancies in the private sector last year, but only 1,800 positions were filled.

"This number shows that there is a very stiff competition in getting a job in the public sector. On the other hand, there are still a lot of vacancies in the private sector which also give opportunities for graduates to work nearer to their home towns," he said.

He also said graduates should have the mindset that it was beneficial to get a job as the experience gained from work could improve their soft skills and at the same time expand their social network.

"We do not have to be too choosy when it comes to finding a job as there are a lot of opportunities available if we think positively and improve ourselves when we are working," he added.

Leduinah Lairis, 24, a student from the Diploma in Business Management course at UiTM Sabah, said CAIREX created an opportunity for her to be exposed to private companies which offered jobs related to her course of study.

"I am very happy that this expo is held here as it is very convenient for me," she said, adding that it was the first job expo she had attended.

"From this program, I have discovered a few companies that I was not familiar with. Getting to know the companies through the booths set up here exposes me to the possibilities of working with one of them," she added.

Dayangku Siti Zulaiha, 22, who is in her final semester for the Diploma in Accounting course, said the expo would help her to decide whether to continue studying to a degree level or not.

"I hope this expo will give me some idea on what jobs are available for diploma and degree graduates," she said.

However, a student in the Diploma in Banking course from Tawau, Mohd Azlan Sah Zulkifli, 22, thought that CAIREX offered too little options.

"I think they should get more companies to set up booths for this program as there are a limited number of vacancies in each company," he said.

During the event, Abdul Kadir announced that there would be an UiTM Sabah 40th Anniversary Peak Dinner Event on March 29 and all alumni of UiTM Sabah are invited to attend the event which would also be attended by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman.

Entrance fees will be donated to the Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa fund.

Print Friendly

Masidi blames KL for project lag - The Borneo Post Online <b>Berita</b> <b>...</b>

Posted: 21 Apr 2014 08:02 PM PDT

by Jenne Lajiun. Posted on April 3, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun attributed the failure to fully implement federal government programmes in Sabah to Putrajaya.

He said the authority to decide lies with Putrajaya and power is not given to the people of Sabah to implement programmes.

Even trivial matters with regard to the tender of supplies for food is decided by Putrajaya, said Masidi when launching a seminar on Malaysia Education Development Plan (PPPM) yesterday.

As a result, a lot of time is wasted, he said.

"In this day and age, such incidents should not happen anymore, particularly when we want everything to be done swiftly," he said.

"Schools (projects) in Sabah are neglected due to issues like cement problem…if the power to decide is given to the director (State Education director), we have ample and able contractors to carry out these projects, but we still have to get the authorisation from Putrajaya," he said.

"I am voicing these issues not because I am against it, but because I am fully supportive of it and want to see all the programmes to be realised fully…I have outlined each of the problems faced in the education sector (in Sabah)…I have also gone through the process of implementing the education (programmes) in Sabah and it is fraught with problems and challenges due to the authority.

"How wonderful it would be if the authority to decide is given to us (Sabah) so that we can implement the Education Ministry's programmes successfully," he said.

He also said that the people of Sabah were not ungrateful to the Federal Government.

"It is not that. We don't want to see the billions of Ringgit spent in Sabah to go into waste because the end result remains unsatisfactory," he said.

He then outlined four issues that need to be considered for the successful implementation of Federal Government programmes in Sabah.

The first issue he raised was on the provision of the power to decide to State directors and /or any federal government agencies based in Sabah.

He explained that contracts were often given to companies that were not based in Sabah, not just in the area of education but also others.

He stressed that there were many capable contractors in Sabah and that they possess technical knowhow/expertise to handle Federal Government projects.

"The Central Government has to understand the aspiration of the people of Sabah. Please don't appoint Peninsular Malaysia-based contractors for contracts involving safety works, for instance, because we have former police personnel who could do such work.

"We are not angry that others get the project but let it (the granting of projects) be balanced. Unfortunately, everything goes to peninsula. This is also one of the factors contributing to the challenges in the implementation of projects in Sabah," he said.

Secondly, locals should be given the opportunity to implement projects related to the PPPM in Sabah, he said.

"Let the contract be given to the locals and give the district education officer full authority to monitor and be responsible for the implementation of these projects," he said.

He also called for the decentralisation of decision-making, citing that Sabah was far from Peninsular Malaysia and that there were many federal government officers in Sabah who were capable as decision makers.

He also said that Sabahans must be considered for federal government posts in Sabah, and that minor posts such as Assistant Lab Technicians in the State must be given to Sabahans.

"If these posts are given to those in Peninsular Malaysia, then the people of Sabah will die," he said.

"These matters may seem trivial but they are important to raise our spirit to continue with the success of the national plan," he said.

Lastly, Masidi called for the setting up of a secretariat in Sabah to foresee the successful implementation of the PPPM in Sabah.

"We need to ensure the plan continues to be relevant till 2025."

During an interview with press members later, Masidi also mentioned the challenges faced by Peninsular Malaysian teachers who were based in Sabah.

"They are faced with problems finding places to stay and getting used to the place…but with Sabahans teaching in Sabah, such an issue will not occur. We need to come to a stage where such issues are no longer regarded as being regionalistic…it is natural for all of us to love the district and State where we came from."

Also present was State Education Director, Datuk Jame Alip.

Print Friendly

Musical show among <b><b>Sabah</b></b> Fest highlights - News 2 Borneo

Posted: 15 May 2014 08:13 PM PDT

by Jenne Lajiun. Posted on April 23, 2014, Wednesday

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Fest will be returning with another spectacular show to highlight Sabah's diverse people, cultures and traditions in the form of a musical performance, 'Aki Nabalu'.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun, told a press conference held at the Le Meridien Hotel here yesterday, the musical performance will be held at the Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara Sabah complex (JKKNS) auditorium between May 2 and May 4.

The performance will showcase a religious and solemn ceremony through a series of actions performed in accordance with a prescribed order.

The Sabah Fest this year will showcase seven ethnic groups in Sabah that look to Mount Kinabalu as a central feature in their traditional, cultural and religious beliefs, said Masidi.

The Kadazandusun community will open the curtains with the presentation of 'Pampang' which tells of the origin of Mount Kinabalu and mankind. The Bajau, Dusun Tindal and Iranun will then gather at the meeting point or Badi, or today known as the Tamu or open air market.

During these social gatherings, Mount Kinabalu would appear tall and majestic as a backdrop as the people go about with their daily lives.

The audience will also be treated to the Mogkodim do hatod, the Rungus ritual performed to call upon the spirit of a sick person.

The Dusun Lotud will perform the Mohlukas, a housewarming ceremony. The spectacular Sabah Fest stage performance will wrap up with a healing ritual of the Murut Nabal, called Mansilad.

Tickets for the performance are sold at RM50 each and seats limited to 560 per day are available. The performances start at 8 pm. For more information, please contact Susan Shahira, Sri Pelancongan Sabah event manager at 6088-232121.

Also present at the press conference were Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, Sabah Tourism Board chairman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Sabah Tourism Board general manager, Datuk Irene Charuruks.

Print Friendly